EIF’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund Benefit, Vacheron Constantin Celebrates a New Store and James Turrell at LACMA, and a Dinner in Honor of Olivier Rousteing

Sometimes social calendars collide, and that was the case Thursday night in Los Angeles when three simultaneous events gave partygoers plenty of celebratory options. Chelsea Handler, host of “An Unforgettable Evening,” presented by Saks Fifth Avenue at the Beverly Wilshire hotel, opened the night by quipping, “I want to thank everyone for showing up tonight—even the people that I make fun of.” At cocktails for the evening that benefitted the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund and marked the sixteenth annual gala, Handler’s beau, André Balazs, embraced the organization’s cofounder Jamie Tisch, before twirling her around to admire a pretty, oversize bow on the back of her Carolina Herrera jumpsuit. The designer herself accepted the Nat King Cole award for her work on behalf of the fund in front of a crowd that included Amber Valletta, Tommy and Dee Hilfiger, and honorary chairs Kate Capshaw and Rita Wilson.Bruno Mars’s end-of-evening performance brought the guests to their feet, and Kylie Minogue accepted the Courage Award. “The epic task of being brave is made easier when there is hope,” said the breast cancer survivor.

Down the street, another fete was taking place at the opening of the Vacheron Constantin Rodeo Drive boutique. “We drove through fires to get here!” exclaimed Santa Barbara–based designer Kendall Conrad, who could see smoke from the Springs fire that was burning in Ventura County on her drive down to Los Angeles with her husband, David Cameron. The couple joined Lawren Howell and Gregory Parkinson inside the packed luxury watch boutique for drinks along with Scott Sternberg, who enthusiastically approved of Bettina Korek’s choice of a black Boy. by Band of Outsiders long dress with a bandage bodice, “It’s sexy!” Afterward, guests headed east to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art where Michael Govan and Katherine Ross hosted a celebratory dinner in anticipation of the museum’s upcoming exhibition “James Turrell: A Retrospective,” which opens May 22 and was sponsored by Vacheron Constantin.

A slightly more intimate meal in honor of Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing began fashionably late outside the Chateau Marmont’s Bungalow One. It was nearly nine as Nathalie Love and Nicole Richie—each clad in the beaded offerings of Balmain’s spring and pre-fall collections—leisurely sipped cocktails poolside in the balmy night. During the candlelit dinner, Petra Flannery and Andrea Lieberman quietly bonded over their shared admiration for the wunderkind 27-year-old creative director of the storied French fashion house. “He has the most beautiful spirit . . . I love him!” gushed Aurélie Bidermann, who collaborated with Rousteing to create Balmain’s first bag collection, which debuted on the runway during Paris Fashion Week. Liberty Ross, another Rousteing fan (she is planning to wear Balmain to Cannes later this month), chose a aquamarine minidress for the evening—“I don’t have to shorten the dresses. They’re kind of perfectly short enough for me!” The humble Rousteing seemed equally admiring of his guests, including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. “She’s fierce; she’s sexy; she’s powerful.” he said of his muse, before adding with a grin, “And she’s wearing the clothes like crazy!”